Vehicle-wheel.



PATENTED APR. 9, 1907.

A. A. DAUGHERTY.

VEHICLE WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED n.5, 1907.

2 SHEETS-BHEIJT 1.

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v No. 849,374. PATENTED APR. 9, 1907.

A. A. DAUGHBRTY.

VEHICLE WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5, 1901.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. .5"

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INVENTOR '9 By v wear and add to .larly has for its at the rim ends and ALVIN ALEXANDER DAUGHERTY, OF N EW YORK, N. Y.

VEH|CLE-WHEE'..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 9, 1907.

Application filed January 6,1907. Serial No. 351,022.

To all whom it TIMI/Z] concern;

.Be it known that I, ALVIN ALEXANDER DAUGHERTY, residing at New York city, in the .county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements'in Vehicle-W'heels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relatesto certain new and useful improvements in vehicle-wheels of the shock-absorbing type, and it more particuobject to provide a wheel of this character of a very simple and effective construction, which can be easily and cheaply manufactured, and which will readily and effectively serve its intended purposes. I

My invention is particularly adapted for use as an automobile-wheel or a wheel for gun-carriages and the-like, and in its generic nature the invention comprises a wheel having spring-spokes which overlap each other provided at such ends with flangedike portions to receive and hold a belt-like tire of thin steel, rubber, or other suitable material. I

' The invention also includes an improved means cooperatively connecting the spokes at their overlapping ends, so as to minimize the effective operation thereof.

In my present invention means are also provided whereby the hub ends-0f the spokes can be conveniently secured to the hub and in which the hub structure consists of a minimum number of parts.

In its more subordinate nature the invention consists in certain improvements on the type of vehicle-wheel disclosed in my copending application, filed July 18, 1906, Serial No. 326,706, and allowed January 4, 1907.

In its detailed nature my invention comprises certain novel construction,- combination, and arrangement of parts, all of which will be first described and then be specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my invention. Fi 2 is a side elevation of a vehiclewheel em odying my invention. Fig. 3 is a central vertical longitudinal section thereof on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail view of one spoke. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail elevation of the overlappin ends of several spokes. Fig. 6 is a centr vertical longitudinal section thereof. Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views of a slightly-modified form of my invention.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals and letters of re erence indicate like parts in all of the fig ures, 1 designates the wheel-hub, which may be of any approved type, preferably that shown in my pending application, filed on even date herewith, and consists, essentially, of the hub proper, 2, the spoke-receiving body portion 3, which is provided with a plurality of ockets 4 for the reception of the spoke cm s, the pockets 4 terminating at their inner portions in circular bores 5 to receive the spoke-heads, as shown. I The pockets 4 are cut into the body portion 3 from one side to leave a web 6 at the other side, and to hold the spokes in place in the hub a plate 7 is secured to the open side of the body portion 3 by bolts 8, the bolts 8 passing through apertures 9 in the body portion 3 of the hub 1, as shown. The body portion 3 of the hub 1 is also pro vided with peripheral pockets 10, through which and through the web 6 and plate 7 supplemental bolts 11 pass. 12 designates a sprocket member which is secured to the hub 1 by the bolts 11, and the sprocket member 12 consists of a hub-engaging plate portion-13, which is offset, as at 14, to merge with the sprocket-web 15, around the periphery of which the sprocket-teeth 16 are formed, it being understood that the spcocket 12 is only used with the wheel when it is desired to cooperate with a chain-drive. (Not shown.)

17 designate the spokes, which in my present invention are preferably formed of springsteel and may be of a greater thickness adjacent the hub and merge to a taper at the rim extremity. The spokes 17 are bent into approximately zigzag form in side elevation and at their hub-engaging end are provided with straight portions 18 to enter the pockets 4 of the hub and terminating in cylindrical ends 1 9 to enter the circular bore 5 of the hub, thus preventing the spokes pullin out of the hub when the wheel is once assem led. Adjacent the rim end the spokes 17are formed with outwardly projecting flanges 20, the end edges of those of one spoke abutting the ends of thoseof adjacent spokes, and each end of the flanges 20 is slightly curved, as at 21, so that the contact edges of the flanges 20 will have a rolling contact, as it were, with one another when the wheel is in use. The spokes 17 terminate at the rim ends in projections 22, which lap-over the next succeeding spoke and rest between the flanges 20 of such succeeding spoke, the spoke ends 22 taperin off to practically zero thickness at the end. ach spoke 17 is so bent as to have a portion 23 la against the adjacent spoke portion beneat the flanges 20, and each spoke 17 is formed with supplemental reverse flanges 24 to embrace the sides of the spoke portions 23 where they contact with the under face of the adjacent spoke. This obviates any danger of a break of the spokes at the point where the portion 23 merges with its respective flange portion 20 and prevents sidewise movement of the adjacent spoke. Each flange 20 is slotted, as at 25, at intervals to render the same flexible, it being understood that the slots 25 may be spaced at a greater or less distance apart, as may be found advisable in practice.

26 designates the tire, which may be ofany approved construction-such, for instance, as an ordinary rubber or pneumatic tire. If desired, between the tire 26 and the spoke ends I may place'a continuous metallic band to relieve the tire of the strains thereon resulting from the compression of the spokes and to furthermore eliminate the friction on the tire due to movement of the overlapping ends of the spokes. I should mention, however, that in practice when the band '27 is applied it is made of a diameter slightly less than the maximum diameter of a circle touching the extreme rim ends of the spokes when the tire is not applied, so that the spokes will be more or less compressed when the tire is applied to exert a tension against the tire'in a direction from the hub outward, thus insuring the tire remaining on the wheel under all conditions of operation.

Inthis invention, as in the invention disclosed in my pending application hereinbefore referred to, the tire 26 is preferably held in position only by the flanges 20 and no other securing means is necessary, and when conditions require the tire may be removed or replaced without difficulty.

In operation the spring-spokes by reason of their form and the manner of cooperatively connecting the same will serve as a shock-absorber, while at the same time allowing the wheel to be sufliciently rigid as to properly serve its proper functions.

In this application I make no claim to the specific construction of hub per se, since such construction forms the subject-matter of a copending application filed on even date herewith.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a slightly-modified form of the invention in which the spoke ends are shorter than in the form shown in a chisel-end shape, the flanges 20 of the ad jacent spoke belng grooved to receive such chisel end.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is thought the complete construction, operation, and many advantages of my invention Will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains.

What I claim is 1. A vehicle-wheel comprising in combination a hub, aseries of resilient spokes each secured at one end to the hub andhaving their other ends bent to overlap each other, said overlapped ends being flat, and having in- Wardlyprojecting flanges substantially as shown and described.

2. A vehicle wheel comprising in combination, a hub, a series of resilient s okes each secured at one end to the hub an having their other ends bent to overlap each other, said overlapped ends having inwardly-projecting flanges, and also having outwardly-projecting flanges, and a tire held over the overlapping ends, substantially as shown and described.

3. A vehicle-wheel comprising in combination a hub, a series of resilient spokes each secured at one end to the hub and having their other ends bent to overlap each other, said overlapped ends having inwardly-projecting flanges,and a tire held over the overlapping ends of the spokes, substantially as shown and described.

4, A vehicle-wheel comprising in combination'with a hub, a series of spokes having one end of each secured to said hub, and having overlapping ends bent to overlap and engage each other, said spokes having outwardlyprojecting flanges, and a tire held over said overlapping ends by said flanges, said flan es having slots, substantially as shown and escribed.

5. A vehicle-wheel comprising in combination with a hub, a series of spokes having one end of each secured to said hub, and having overlapping ends bent to overlap and engage each other, said spokes having outwardlyprojecting flanges, a tire held over'said overlapping ends by said flange, said flanges having slots, said spoke-flanges being arranged to abut one another, substantially asshown and described. l

6. A vehicle-wheel comprising in combination with a hub, a series of spokes having one end of each secured to said hub, and having overlapping ends bent to overlap and engage each other, said spokes having outwardlyprojecting flanges, a tire held over said overlapping ends by said flanges, said flanges having slots, said spoke-flanges being arranged to abut one another, and having their abutting ends curved substantially as shown and described. Y

7. A resilient wheel having the spokes thereof extended to. form a yieldable treadsurface and provided with flanges at each side of the tread-surfaces toforin an outer peripheral channel, said flanges abutting one another, substantially as shown and deside of the tread-surface to form a peripheral channel, said flanges abutting one another,

and provided with slots substantially as shown and described.

9. A .resilient wheel having the spokes thereof extended to form a yieldable treadsurface, and-provided with flanges at each side of the tread-surfaces to form a peripheral channel, said flanges abutting one another, and provided with slots, the abutting faces of said flanges being curved, substantially as shown and described.

10.A resilient wheel having the spokes thereof extended to form, a flat yieldable tread-surface, and provided with flanges at each side of the tread-surfaces to form aperipheral channel, said flanges abutting one another, and a tire held in said channel, sub stantially as shown and described.

11. A resilient wheel havin the spokes thereof extended .to form a yieldable treadsurface, and provided with flan es at each side of the tread-surface to form a peripheral channel, said flanges abutting one another, and provided with slots, and a tire held in said channel, substantially as shown and described.

12. A resilient wheel havin the .spokesthereof extended to form a yieldable treadsurface, and provided with flanges at each side of the tread-surface to form a peripheral channel, said flanges abutting one another, and provided with slots, the abutting faces of said flanges being curved, and a tire held in said channel, substantially as shown and described.

13. A resilient wheel havin the spokes thereof extended to form a yieldable tread surface and provided with flexible flanges at each side of the treadsurfaces to form a pesurface and provided with ouhvardly-extending flexible flanges at the sides of the treadsurface to form a peripheral recess or channel, a tire held in said channel, supplemental inwardlyprojecting flanges on said spokes to embrace adjacent spokes substantially as shown and described.

15. A resilient wheel havin the spokes thereof extended to form a yieldable treadsurface and provided with flanges at each side of the tread-surface to forni an outer pe ripheral recess or channel, said spokes each terminating in projecting ends held in said channel substantially as shown and described.

16. A resilient wheel having the spokes thereof extended to form a flat yieldable tread-surface and provided with flanges at each side of the tread-surface to form a peripheral recess or channel, saidspokes each.

terminating in projecting ends helds in said channel, and a tire held in said channel, substantially as shown and described.

17. A resilient wheel havin the spokes thereof extended to form a at yieldable tread-surface, means forming apart of said spokes for forming a peripheral channel, a

tire held in said channel, said tire being of a diameter less than the maximum expanded diameter of the peripheralchannel formed by the spoke ends substantially as shown and.

described. Y

18. A resilient wheel havin the spokes thereof extended to form. aat yieldable tread-surface and rovided with flanges to form a peripheral c annel, and means held in said channel for holding said spokes normally compressed substantiallyas shown and described.

i 19. A resilient wheel'havin the spokes thereof extended to form a at yieldable tread-surface and providedwith flanges to form a eripheral channel, means held in said chamie for holding said spokes normally compressed, and' a tire held in said channel over said means, substantially as shown and described.

ALVIN ALEXANDER DAUGHERTY.

VVitne'sses A. E. DIETERIICH MAY E. IMMICE. 

